Jordan Matthews “inconsistent” in debut

“He was inconsistent,” coach Chip Kelly told reporters regarding the second-round wideouts preseason debut. “There was a ball on the sideline he could have caught. I don’t know if he was pressing, but there were some inconsistencies there. Sometimes, it’s the first time for guys in bright lights chance to play that out of their system and calm down.”

Matthews ultimately caught four passes for 14 yards against the Bears. With Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin banged up, Matthews will get more opportunities to become more consistent.

Still, it’s a work in progress. And there’s no guarantee that Matthews will be lighting up the scoreboard for the Eagles in 2014.

Whatever he does in 2014, Matthews could still become a star in the NFL. After all, even T.O. caught only 35 passes as a rookie in 1996.

Philly we have a problems. Drops, no speed, failure to separate. He caught 44bubble screens last yr people. Red flag. Think about it. Marcus smith stinks too. Philly whiffed on the first and second rd picks this yr. nice job. Chip Kelly back to school in2015.

T.O. also played with arguably the greatest football player in NFL History his rookie season. A guy by the name of JERRY RICE that was perpetually open! Not nearly as many opportunities when a QB has to choose between THE BEST THATS EVER DONE IT, and an unproven Rook. That being said T.O. still was 2nd in receptions for the 9ers that year.

Mathews is handicapped in no such way. This is in fact a golden opportunity! JMac coming back from an ACL and a 1 season wonder is all he’s competing against. Neither of which have even had a 1000 yard season.

I wonder if Shady still thinks he’s the best after watching highlights of B.Cooks last night? Lol

birdzflyinhigh says:Aug 9, 2014 11:31 AM

Yes, let’s rule out Jordan Matthews and Marcus Smith after one preseason game. It’s safe to assume that this is Chip Kelly’s last year in the NFL. C’mon man with the ridiculous comments, the Eagles will be just fine and so will Chip.

Playing with an all-time great isn’t a handicap, it is a benefit, bigblu73, because it draws coverage away from you plus you have a veteran mentor.

I don’t know if Mathews is going to be any good but your rationale doesn’t hold water.

NFLJunkie says:Aug 9, 2014 11:44 AM

Saw this guy make a ton of plays downfield over the course of his college career, both running away from people, and other times making tough plays in traffic. The more notoriety he earned, the more defenses keyed on him, especially once running mate and fellow NFL prospect Chris Boyd got himself thrown off the team before last season.

So Vandy looked for any way possible to create chances for Matthews even when defenses were determined to take him away, like the screens. And it mostly worked for them.

Obviously Matthews doesn’t have all the things NFL teams drool over or he wouldn’t have lasted into round two. Doesn’t really deserve the weight of the hype with the TO comparisons right out of the gate, but I hope he can carry it and make his own mark. Solid player and a solid, hard working kid.

It would’ve been nice to see them look sharp but I think the penalties really messed up their rhythm. Better to get those “teachable moments” out here then in a real game. Matthews will probably struggle for the first half of the season until the game slows down for him. With his work ethic I have no doubt he will put in the time to learn and excel at his position.

What are people bringing Marcus Smith into this conversation? He played great! Remember he is the jack LB behind Connor Barwin so he wasn’t rushing the passer. Brandon Graham was the one rushing and Marcus Smith looked REALLY good in coverage.

As for Jordan Matthews, he was clearly pressing. The play where he got tackled behind the line of scrimmage trying to out juke a defender is a prime example. That’s not his game at all. Once the nerves settle I’m sure he’ll be fine. The people saying he couldn’t get open are just wrong. He was open but he dropped the balls. Unacceptable but easily correctable.

Overall I was really impressed by the rookies. Beau Allen is a legit beast at NT and looks like he may be able to take Bennie Logans spot if he keeps it up. Steal of the draft maybe? Josh Huff obviously had a great game and looked a lot faster then advertised. I wasn’t that high on him but I am now. Jaylen Watkins got burned early but then settled in and came up with an INT. Taylor Hart looked ok but I think he’ll need to bulk up a bit. Did Ed Reynolds even play?

Youknowimright says:Aug 9, 2014 12:20 PM

@birdzflyinhigh

One preseason game or not, I don’t think anyone in philly really thinks everything will be ok this yr. Matthews could not separate from guys that will be bagging groceries in a week. This kid is not that good. Dont be a homer Philly fan thrusting stardom on players. Last night should not only be a red flag for this season it should be one of those opening day size american flag, red flags. No sb in Philly. AGAIN. Hilarious.

iwantrudytodressforme says:
Aug 9, 2014 11:48 AM
I wonder if Shady still thinks he’s the best after watching highlights of B.Cooks last night? Lol

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Bro if you think anyone on the eagles is watching PRESEASON tape against a team they don’t play this season and are looking at anything but themselves you don’t know football.
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That comment was made in jest Bro!!!LOL I didn’t say that in a realistic manner, just jokes!!!

justintuckrule says:Aug 9, 2014 12:31 PM

I thought the nfl already gave this kid a rookie exemption straight to the hall of fame… If you listen to eagle fans.

TheDPR says:
Aug 9, 2014 11:34 AM
Playing with an all-time great isn’t a handicap, it is a benefit, bigblu73, because it draws coverage away from you plus you have a veteran mentor.

I don’t know if Mathews is going to be any good but your rationale doesn’t hold water.
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I don’t know how much football you’ve watched during your lifetime. But……. I don’t care how much coverage a stud WR draws away, UNTIL the QB gains trust in a ROOK not many passes will come that way! Thats just the way it is! Not many rookie WR’s set the league on fire the 1st half of the season, it normally happens incrementally leading to a strong second half of the season showing. Rice routinely got double-triple coverage but still figured out how to beat it and Young knew that ofcourse. My 30+ years of watching the NFL has taught me that my rationale holds plenty O’ agua.

One preseason game or not, I don’t think anyone in philly really thinks everything will be ok this yr. Matthews could not separate from guys that will be bagging groceries in a week. This kid is not that good. Dont be a homer Philly fan thrusting stardom on players. Last night should not only be a red flag for this season it should be one of those opening day size american flag, red flags. No sb in Philly. AGAIN. Hilarious.

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You are the homer! If you paid attention last year the Eagles best games came directly after their worst games. Eagles had that terrible game vs Dallas where Foles got the concussion, and Foles first game back he throws 7 td’s. The Eagles don’t show up vs the Vikings and come back to blow the Bears out of the water with 54 points.

iamdinguskhan says:Aug 9, 2014 8:11 PM

Don’t buy this guy his gold jacket yet Philly. There’s a reason no one drafted him in the 1st round after having the most catches in SEC history…this is not college….it’s the NFL…OTAs are one thing live action against NFL corners is another. Face it you miss DJAX. And Chip messed up getting rid of him because of his over inflated Ego…he didn’t take the draft seriously and now look what your stuck with….Its only the first preseason game but this kid needs a lot of work.
In Chip We Trust…LOL